Superheater boiler



June 4, 1935. w; H ARMACOST 2,003,818

SUPERHEATER BOILER Filed March 7, 1952 I INVENTOR. 'Wnbur H.Af1naco5l7 A TTORNEY Patented June 4, 1935 SUPERHEATER BOILER;

Wilbur H. Armacost, New York, N. Y., assignor to The Superheater Company, New York, N. Y.

Application March 71, 1932, Serial No. 597,177

6 Claims. (01. 122-478) My invention relates to boilers of the horizontal straight tube type having superheaters below the main bank of tubes and to arrangements for the support of .superheaters in such boilers.

The great majority of water tube boilers in which the tubes are substantially horizontal have the tubes staggered in a vertical direction. It has, however, come to be customary to place the superheater for such boilers below the main bank of generating tubes. Considerable .difiiculty has been experienced in providing a satisfactory arrangement whereby the superheater may be supported in such position.

It is the principal object .of my invention to provide a design of superheater boiler of the horizontal water tube type having means whereby the superheater may be conveniently and economically supported below the main bank of generating tubes.

The novel features of my invention are pointed out particularly in the appended claims. In-

order, however, that the invention may be more fully and readily understood, I will now describe in detail by way of example and in connection with the accompanying drawing a ,superheater boiler embodying the invention. In the drawing Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation of a horizontal water tube boiler and superheater in ac cordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a detail view on an enlarged scale 11- lustrating the relative positions of the tubes adjacent the lanes for the superheater supports.

Referring to the drawing more in detail, 9 designates the main generating bank of a water tube boiler the majority of the tubes h! of which are of the ordinary size and arrangement. Tubes are straight and inclined somewhat to the horizontal as well as so arranged as to give a staggered effect in the vertical direction so that gases rising through bank 9 must pursue a tertuous path. Beneath the bank 9 is shown a second bank ll composed of tubes 12, I2, bank ll being set a sufiicient distance below the bank 9 to provide a space 14 for reception of elements l6, N3 of the superheater. The elements l6 can be supported in various ways, perhaps the most obvious of which is to transfer their weight to the top row of tubes l2. However, the total weight of the superheater elements [6 is often greater than is desired to support on one row of boiler tubes. Moreover, tubes l2, being nearer the fire, are less adapted to support a large weight than are the tubes of bank 9, especially the upper rows thereof which are remote from the fire. However, there are usually no vertical lanes through bank 9; the ordinary spacing of tubes in such a bank being such that a tube in one horizontal row completely covers the space between two tubes in the next lower horizontal row.

In accordance with my invention, suitable lanes are'made in bank 9 for receiving supporting members to carry some or all of the weight of elements It by merely reducing the size of some or all of the tubes in certain selected vertical rows by a relatively small amount. 'As appears in Fig. 2, such tubes of smaller diameter are indicated at l8, l8. Assuming that the tubes H] are 51' in outside diameter, it is only necessary, in the arrangement shown, to reduce the size of tubes 18 to an outside diameter of 3%" and to shift the centers of the tubes l-8 slightly in the horizontal direction to provide satisfactory vertical lanes for supporting membersfor the superheater, Such shiftof the centres is indicated clearly in "Fig. '3 where the normal position of thoseof' the larger tubes 10 removed to make room for the smaller tubes I8 is shown by dotted lines. How'- ever, if tubes l8 wereslightly smaller in proportion than 3%; inches when tubes 1.0 are '4 inches,

'no'shift in the centers would be necessary. In

the arrangement shown, the gas passages 19 -between the smaller tubes and the larger generating tubes in the same horizontal rows and on the opposite sides of the smaller tubes from the lanes is not altered. I do not limit myself to this in all cases, however. In accordance with the invention, supporting'bars ornarrowplates 20,, 20 are passed down through the bank -9 alongside tubes IS. The bars 20 are illustrated as relatively thin in the direction transverse to tubes l0 and wide in the direction parallel to the length of such tubes so as to utilize to best advantage a narrow lane through the bank 9.

The upper ends of members 20 may be supported in various ways. One of the members 20 is shown as supported on a cross piece 22 resting on the top horizontal row of tubes l0 and spanning six vertical rows of such tubes and one vertical row of tubes I8 while the upper end of the other member 20 is secured to a rod 24 which extends up through the roof of the boiler and is supported on the iron work 26 of the boiler. For r convenience of illustration, the plate or bar 20 having the cross-piece 22 therein is oil-set laterally of the boiler from the bar 20 which is connected to rod 24. In practice this perhaps would not be the case. In fact, pieces 22 and 24 might not both be used in the same boiler, although I consider this preferable. At their lower ends, members 20 are connected to cross beams 28, 28 which support the ordinary Xmas trees 30, 30 the arms of which directly support elements l6.

While tubes l8 are shown in vertical rows extending entirely through bank 9, I do not limit myself to this or to extending supporting members 20 entirely through bank 9.

What I claim is: a

l. A boiler having a generating bank of tubes of the straight horizontally inclined type and in which the majority of the tubes are of uniform size and staggered in the vertical direction 'to such an extent as to eliminate, so far as the majority of the tubes are concerned, vertical lanes of sulficient width to accommodate supporting members, but having certain tubes of smaller size than the majority, said smaller tubes having an arrangement relatively to the remainder of the tubes of the bank such as to provide narrow vertical lanes through the bank adapted to receive supporting members.

2. A superheater boiler having an upper bank of generating tubes of the straight horizontally inclined type the majority of which are of uniform size and staggered in the vertical direction to such an extent as to eliminate, so far as the majority of the tubes are concerned, vertical lanes of suflicient width to accommodate supporting members, a second bank of generating tubes spaced below said first bank, superheater elements between said banks, said first bank having certain tubes of smaller diameter than the majority and so arranged as to provide narrow vertical lanes extending entirely through the upper bank, supporting members in said lanes, means forfsupporting the upper ends of said members, and means for supporting the elements of said superheater from the lower ends of said members.

3. In a horizontal boiler, the combination of sinuous headers withstaggered holes for the reception of tube ends of a given size in a standard arrangement, a main bank of tubes adapted to fit said holes, the staggered arrangement being suflicient to eliminate vertical lanes through the bank but with certain of said tubes in adjacent rows being of smaller diameter intermediate their ends to provide vertical lanes, and straight supporting straps extending vertically downward through said lanes.

4. A superheater boiler having an upper bank of generating tubes of the straight horizontally inclined type the majority of which are of uniform size and staggered in the vertical direction to such an extent as to eliminate, so far as the majority of the tubes are concerned, vertical lanes of suiiicient width to accommodate supporting members, a second bank of generating tubes spaced below said first bank, superheater elements between said banks, said first bank having certain tubes of smaller diameter than the majority and so arranged as to provide narrow vertical lanes extending entirely through the upper bank, said tubes of smaller diameter in the vertical rows next to the lanes being off -set slightly to increase the width of such lanes, supporting members in'said lanes, means for supporting the upper ends of said members, and means for supporting the elements of said superheater from thelower ends of said members.

5. A superheater boiler having an'upper bank of generating tubes of the straight horizontally inclined type the majority of which are of uniform size and staggered in the vertical direction to such an extent as to eliminate, so far as the majority of the tubes are concerned, vertical lanes of sumcient width to accommodate supporting members, a second bank of generating tubes spaced below said first bank, superheater elements between said banks, said first bank having certain tubes of smaller diameter than the majority and so arranged as to provide narrow vertical lanes extending entirely through the upper bank, the centers of the tubes of smaller diameter in the vertical rows next to the lanes being off-set so that the distance between each such smaller tube and the larger size tube on the opposite side of it from the lane is the same as between two larger size tubes in the same horizontal row, supporting members in said lanes, means for supporting the upper ends of said members, and means for supporting the elements of said superheater from the lower ends of said members.

6. In a horizontal boiler of the interdeck type, a main bank of generating tubes so arranged as to eliminate, in general, vertical lanes through such bank, sinuous headers having holes therein in which said tubes are seated, such headers having uniform horizontal spacing, and the tube holes therein having in general a uniform horizontal spacing, but the centers of the holes in the headers for certain vertical rows of tubes being ofiset horizontally as compared to the average spacing enough to at least assist in the formation of vertical lanes adapted to receive superheater supports.

WILBUR H. ARMACOST. 

